In the race to embrace electric vehicles (EVs), Herefordshire businesses find themselves trailing, ranking as the third least prepared county in England and Wales for the upcoming electric revolution. This comes as the government gears up to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

A recent study which analysed vehicle licensing statistics from the Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, revealed that a mere 4.17 per cent of company vehicles licensed in Herefordshire are electric. This figure is 73 per cent below the UK average.

The county with the least readiness for the switch to EVs is Powys, where only 3.01 per cent of all company vehicles are electric. Ceredigion follows closely with 3.76 per cent. Berkshire leads the way with an impressive 29.23 per cent of company vehicles being electric, followed by Greater Manchester at 27.87 per cent and Wiltshire at 25.88 per cent.

Despite the slow adoption in certain areas, the UK has seen a significant uptick in the embrace of EVs. The study, by car lease comparison site Moneyshake, highlighted that the average number of electric company vehicles licensed in the UK stands at 15.30 per cent of all company vehicles. Interestingly, businesses seem to be ahead of individual owners in this transition, with 56 per cent of plug-in vehicles being company-owned, compared to 15 per cent of all licensed vehicles.

Eben Lovatt, CEO of Moneyshake, expressed optimism about the shift towards EVs, noting, “Businesses are on the right track to be ready for an electric future, with lots of areas across the country already adapting.” He further highlighted the financial benefits for businesses, such as reduced company car tax on pure-electric models and the provision of free charging points at many workplaces.

The study’s methodology involved analysing the most recent Vehicle licensing statistics data, focusing on vehicles whose keepership was company-based. The data was then broken down by local authority, identifying the number of company vehicles and the number of electric vehicles in each area. These figures were used to determine the percentage of vehicles in each area that were electric.

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